Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Absent Voting: Proof of Identity

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the requirementin the Voter Identification Regulations 2022 for electors to possess photo identification in order to vote, how electors participating using a postal vote will be required toprove theiridentity when completing their ballot paper.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: There are longstanding security measures focused on the security of the postal voting process, including requiring postal voters to provide personal identifiers at the time of applying for a postal vote and which are checked at the time of a poll. In addition, other measures are available to electoral administrators can apply around the process to ensure security, such as monitoring numbers of postal voters and locations for unusual activity.The Elections Act 2022 introduces additional safeguards against the potential abuse of postal voting including extending the secrecy provisions, which had previously only applied in polling stations, to postal votes and therefore making anyone coercing someone completing a postal vote liable to further criminal sanctions. The Act also requires those registered for a postal vote to re-apply for a postal vote every three years; imposes a ban on political campaigners handling postal votes (with some limited exceptions), supported by the creation of a new offence; and provides a power to limit the number of postal votes that a person may hand-in to a polling station or to the Returning Officer on behalf of others.The Elections Act 2022 introduces an identity check at the point of application for a postal vote, whereby an applicant will need to provide their National Insurance number (or other documents or attestations where the applicant cannot provide a national insurance number) to be checked against HMG records. This process mirrors the current practice for Register to Vote.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Energy: Meters

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the severe cold weather on (1) vulnerable households, and (2) the ability of those residents on pre-payment meters to access Government help with household bills; and what steps they will take to facilitate access to support for the most vulnerable households.

Lord Callanan: The Government is delivering the Energy Bills Support Scheme, a £400 non-repayable grant to support all families with their energy bills. Additionally, the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) will save a typical household in Great Britain £900 this Winter. The Government is currently reviewing the EPG. This consultation will ensure that vulnerable high energy users, such as those with medical requirements, are not put at risk of having to pay more. Customers with smart prepayment meters have the credit applied to their meter automatically, and those with traditional prepayment meters should have received discount vouchers sent via SMS text, email, post or a Special Action Message. Electricity suppliers have reported that, as of 1 December, they had issued 4,044,554 vouchers to customers with traditional prepayment meters.

Energy

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what stepsthey are taking to strengthen Britain’s reputation as an international partner in the energy industry.

Lord Callanan: The United Kingdom became the first major economy in the world to pass laws to end its contribution to global warming by 2050. Its Net Zero Strategy will secure 480,000 well-paid jobs and unlock £100 billion in investment in 2030. The North Sea Transition Deal sets out how the Government will partner with industry to transition the UK Continental Shelf to a net zero basin by 2050. The UK works closely with international energy partners through the G7, G20 and International Energy Agency. The Government led the way to reduce dependence on Russian fossil fuels in order to starve Putin’s war machine, including through energy sanctions, and maintain stable energy markets and prices. The Government will also continue to support Ukraine and has committed a total of £22 million and additional guarantees to support Ukraine’s energy sector.

Energy Supply

Lord Empey: To ask His Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the current operation of the UK energy market; and what plans they have, if any, to propose alternatives to the current operation.

Lord Callanan: The Government has launched the Review of Electricity Market Arrangements (REMA), following a commitment in the British Energy Security Strategy. The consultation closed on 10th October. REMA is a major review into Britain’s electricity market design, and is considering a broad range of reforms, from changes to existing arrangements that can be delivered from the mid-2020s, to enduring transformational reforms.

Great British Nuclear

Lord Haworth: To ask His Majesty's Government when Great British Nuclear will be (1) established, and (2) fully operational.

Lord Callanan: The Government will make an announcement on the set up of GBN early in the new year. The Government will provide funding for GBN to help projects get investment ready and support them through the construction phase.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Finland and Sweden: NATO Enlargement

Lord Marlesford: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with other NATO members concerning the reasons why (1) Finland, and (2) Sweden, have not yet been granted full membership of NATO; and when they expect full membership for those countries to be achieved.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK Government has engaged regularly with NATO Allies to advance the NATO accession process for Sweden and Finland. Once the Accession Protocols were signed, we expedited our ratification, recognising the importance of bringing both countries quickly into NATO. We continue to encourage all Allies to also ratify swiftly. Rapid integration into NATO will make both countries safer, the Alliance stronger, and the Euro-Atlantic area more secure.

Armed Conflict: Offences against Children

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that children who have experienced sexual violence in conflict are prioritised in the implementation of their new Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Strategy; and what steps they are taking to strengthen the effectiveness of the investigation and prosecution of sexual violence against children in conflict.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) Strategy prioritises justice for survivors, including children, as one of four key objectives. As part of strategy implementation, the UK is delivering a new £8.6 million initiative - A.C.T (Accountability Commission & Taskforce) for Survivors - that will support national authorities deliver justice. The initiative aims to bring together expertise and best practice, build capacity, improve national implementation, and increase support to survivorsWe continue to use our permanent United Nations Security Council (UNSC) membership to ensure conflict-related child protection issues remain a key part of UNSC discussions and that UN operations address child protection issues, including conflict-related sexual violence.

Israel: Palestinians

Lord Hylton: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to support further dialogue between the peoples of Israel and Palestine; and in particular between (1) those active in civil society, and (2) others who influence public opinion; and what discussions they have held with other countries in support of such dialogue.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We have a regular dialogue with both the Palestinian Authority and the Government of Israel in which we reiterate the need for both sides to prepare their populations for peaceful coexistence, including by promoting a more positive portrayal of one another to contribute to building the conditions needed for peace. We also continue to engage with civil society organisations in both Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We believe that negotiations will only succeed when they are conducted between Israelis and Palestinians, supported by the international community. We will continue to press the parties strongly on the need to refrain from taking actions that make peace more difficult.

Israel: Palestinians

Lord Hylton: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Resolution of the UN General Assembly on 2 December calling for renewed peace talks between Israel and Palestine, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1850.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Every Israeli and Palestinian has the right to live in peace and security. We believe that negotiations will only succeed when they are conducted between Israelis and Palestinians, supported by the international community. We will continue to press the parties strongly on the need to refrain from taking actions that make peace more difficult.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

High Speed 2 Line: Polymers

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Benyon on 10 November (HL2965), which stated that thepolymerebased product "is used in treatment of the solid wastes, which have a waste water component that receives further treatment prior to discharge", how the further treatmentremoves the acrylamide which is water soluble; and whether they can confirm that polymeres are not tested to check if this has been successful.

Lord Benyon: In the solid slurry stabilisation process, only the minimum amount of polymer product is used to achieve the required result. The polymer will be preferentially bound within the solid waste with negligible, if any, carry over into the waste water from the slurry treatment process. This water then undergoes further treatment in the water treatment plant, including settlement of fine solids, reverse osmosis, and activated carbon filtration, which further reduce the risk of any polymer or constituents reaching the discharge point and therefore the environment. Due to the low potential for the polymer to be present in the slurry treatment process, waste water, and the further treatment provided by the water treatment plant, no testing was required as part of the permit for the presence of polymer or constituents.